How the City champion Livonia Stevenson softball team has bounced back

Livonia Stevenson's Allie Cramer pitches during a softball game on Monday, May 11, 2026, at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

“We had to reset because of the first month of the season, with it being hard for us to even string hits together,” Stevenson coach Kevin Hannigan said after a 6-1, 7-5 split with White Lake Lakeland on May 11 at The Corner Ballpark, the former home of the Detroit Tigers in Corktown. “We kept working on that over practice. For us to start hitting finally, and for them to stay within themselves and make pitchers come to us a little bit, they’ve done an outstanding job. We’re now scoring 9, 10, 11 runs a game. Before, we were in a lot of 1-0 games earlier in the season. Now we’re finally putting the bat on the ball.”

Indeed, hitting has been a struggle for the Spartans, and it still is at times.

More: Livonia Churchill softball shows resiliency in win vs. rival Franklin

While they’ve manufactured runs more often lately, that wasn’t the case earlier this past weekend against Franklin, which they narrowly beat 2-0 despite leaving 12 runners in scoring position.

This season, Stevenson beat Plymouth twice by one run on April 20, edged Franklin 3-0 on May 22 and was limited offensively in showcase losses to Hudsonville Unity Christian, Wayland and Grand Haven.

But what has kept the Spartans afloat, even when the bats haven’t been active, has been ace pitcher Allie Cramer, the sophomore standout who has been lights out.

Livonia Stevenson's Kennedy Hinkle races home during a softball game on Monday, May 11, 2026, at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

During the City tournament, she struck out 11 Patriots before fanning 14 Chargers in the championship game.

She recently recorded her 200th career strikeout, impressive considering she split time in the circle with Benaske as a freshman. Now that she’s getting the bulk of the starts, she’s found her groove. And Stevenson is in every game she pitches.

“Allie has been doing good, and against Churchill on Tuesday she dominated the top half of their lineup,” Hannigan said. “To come back again and pitch against Franklin on Saturday, who’s going to be in our district, too, and to pitch again against Churchill, she just dominated. She only gave up four hits in the two games and has done a phenomenal job of keeping pitchers off-balanced and just owning the circle. For a sophomore, that’s awesome.”

It helps that Cramer has a strong supporting cast.

Livonia Stevenson's Brooke Benaske hits during a softball game on Monday, May 11, 2026, at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

Assistant Brittany Abraham calls her pitches, and the two have worked well together to navigate some of the KLAA’s best hitters this spring.

Benaske, Stevenson’s former ace, has acted as a mentor in the dugout, helping Cramer handle the mental side of the game from a veteran’s perspective.

And catching for Cramer? That would be her older sister, Katie. The siblings’ chemistry speaks for itself, and there aren’t many problems they can’t work through.

“She definitely plays a big part in my success,” Allie said. “When I miss a spot or something isn’t going right, she’s able to help me. But we can also figure out who is at fault based on what pitch is being thrown.”

Because of Allie’s travel experience with Firecrackers Softball, she has faced elite hitters and pitched in difficult situations, which helps offset her youth.

But what also helps is her workmanlike approach. She treats each inning like a job and wants to clock out as quickly as possible.

“My biggest goal when I’m out there is to see how fast I can get my team back into the dugout,” the sophomore said. “Throughout the past few weeks, my goal has just been to go three up, three down and produce the outs for my team, that way we can get back into it and score some more runs.”

Livonia Stevenson coach Kevin Hannigan and Allie Cramer share a laugh during a softball game on Monday, May 11, 2026, at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

The results speak for themselves, as the Spartans are on the verge of a seventh straight division championship and have their eyes on KLAA and district titles over the next month.

The hitting is slowly coming around for Stevenson. And once the weather finally turns, it should improve even more. Yet despite the early-season struggles, the Spartans battled back and remain on track to accomplish all of the goals they set before leaving the league.

Allie is excited about what lies ahead, but she isn’t focused on it. She’s ready to get back to work.

“It’s definitely cool, but I try not to pay attention to a lot of that outside stuff,” she said. “It’s a lot of white noise. For me, I’m just here for my team. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing, and I know that’s the best way I can help my team.”

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.

This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: How the City champion Livonia Stevenson softball team has bounced back